Psychology

Faculty of Health recognizes four with research, teaching and service excellence awards

The Faculty of Health has recognized four of its faculty members for their accomplishments in teaching, research and service. Four faculty members were recognized with the annual Dean’s Awards, which reflect excellence and innovation within the Faculty. This year's recipients are: Mathieu Poirier – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership, Pedagogical and/or Curricular Innovation; Julie Conder – Dean’s […]

Study shows why younger children remember details but struggle with order of events

Children between four and five years old find it more difficult to remember time and the sequence of events than older children, a study by psychology researchers at York University shows. This is expected to be a particularly important finding as more children could be asked to testify about what happened inside their homes during […]

York professors emeriti publish book on mental attention and human development

A new book by two York professors emeriti and senior scholars presents a general psychological theory addressing cognitive and affective processes and their development in infancy and childhood. The book The Working Mind: Meaning and Mental Attention in Human Development (MIT Press) was authored by Juan Pascual-Leone, professor emeritus (psychology) and senior scholar, and Janice M. Johnson, associate professor […]

Memory training points to new directions for treatment of Huntington disease

York U’s Christine Till undertakes a pilot study that suggests memory training is feasible for patients with early-stage Huntington disease. This could lead to new directions for treatment.

York Research Chair links adaptations of bilingualism to brain’s performance

World-leading bilingualism expert sifts through all existing research and concludes that multiple languages involve adaptations that are apparent in cognitive performance.

Canadian Academy of Health Sciences inducts two York faculty members

York University’s excellence in health science was acknowledged Sept. 14 when Faculty of Health Dean Paul McDonald and Psychology Professor Joel Katz were inducted as fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). McDonald and Katz are the eighth and ninth inductees from York University’s Faculty of Health. “It is quite a prestigious achievement […]

York researchers show psychology tools can reduce opioid use in high-risk and complex post-surgical pain patients

Researchers out of York University have found evidence that psychological support and coping skills help to reduce the risk of long-term, high-dose opioid use in patients with post-surgical pain. A study of 343 post-surgical patients treated by an innovative, multidisciplinary hospital-integrated pain program at Toronto General Hospital (TGH), University Health Network (UHN) found that all […]

York research pinpoints predictors of post-surgery opioid use

New research led by York University shows the strongest predictive factors for prolonged opioid use after a traumatic musculoskeletal injury and surgery are pain severity and a poor sense of control over pain. The study is published in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society. Scientists from York University, the University of Toronto […]

New research on mini strokes points to earlier diagnosis, prevention

Research by Prof Gary Turner and others offers new insights into mini strokes that could lead to prevention, earlier diagnoses and improved health outcomes of Ontarians.

Collaborative research adds to greater understanding of amnesia

York Research Chair Shayna Rosenbaum teams up with Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute in a project that leads to major advancements in our understanding of amnesia.

The price of perfectionism: Suicidal thoughts along cultural lines

Gordon Flett looks at ethnic variations on perfectionism, and how they relate to suicidal thoughts in university students. This study, a global first, could help Canadian undergrads. There is no doubt university students are under increasing pressure to succeed in their academic, social and personal lives. York University psychology Professor Gordon Flett, Canada Research Chair […]

Ottawa renews $1.4-million Canada Research Chair at York

The federal government has renewed a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Psychology at York enabling Faculty of Health Professor Joel Katz to advance his research in the psychological, emotional and biomedical factors involved in acute and chronic pain. As a Tier 1 CRC, Katz will receive $1.4 million over seven years. The renewal is […]

Researchers find brain's default network shrinks in healthy aging and dementia

Researchers at York University and Cornell University have found the brain’s default network, a collection of brain regions thought to be involved in cognitive functions such as memory, declines in volume with both normal aging and in Alzheimer’s disease. These new findings suggest that structural changes in this collection of brain regions may be critical […]

Lillian Wright Maternal-Child Institute explores research from lab to community

From the lab to community-based research is the theme of the second Lillian Wright Maternal-Child Institute at York University. The one-day institute, organized by Echo’s Chair in Women’s Mental Health Research in partnership with the Faculty of Health, will take place Friday, Sept. 27, from 9am to 4pm, at 280N York Lanes, Keele campus. Lunch […]

Psychology prof co-lead in $1.8 million government funded program

York University psychology Professor Jonathan Weiss is one of the co-leads in a research program that was recently awarded $1.8 million over three years from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Health System Research Fund. The program, Health Care Access Research in Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD), aims to enhance the overall health and wellbeing […]

Prof awarded new research chair in autism spectrum disorders

Professor and clinical psychologist Jonathan Weiss of York University’s Faculty of Health is the new Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Treatment and Care Research, the federal government announced Monday at York. The chair, which will receive some $2 million in funding over five years, will study ways to improve the mental health and well-being of […]

Two York psychology profs listed in top 11

York psychology professors Jane Irvine and Debra Pepler of York’s Faculty of Health have recently been named two of the most published women in the field of clinical psychology in Canada, according to an article in the Canadian Psychology journal. “Assessing the Publication Productivity of Clinical Psychology Professors in Canadian Psychological Association-Accredited Canadian Psychology Departments,” […]

Study finds all bilingualism gives kids an advantage

All bilingual children – regardless of the languages they speak – show cognitive advantages over their English-only peers, although they may experience weakness in areas like vocabulary acquisition, says a new study by York University researchers. The study, published today in the journal Child Development, examined the effects of specific language pairings on children’s verbal and […]

York study finds music-based training improves preschoolers' verbal IQ

A new study out of York University finds that music-based cognitive training offers dramatic benefits for young children, including improved verbal intelligence.  The study, conducted at York and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, appeared online yesterday in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. It looked at children between the […]

Professor Jonathan Weiss receives new researcher award

York psychology Professor Jonathan Weiss (MA '02, PhD ’07) has recently been awarded a Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) President’s New Researcher Award in recognition of his contribution to psychological knowledge in Canada. The award is, in part, based on the researcher’s record of early career achievement. For Weiss, that encompasses the research on developmental disabilities that […]